Lemonade
by Cyan.Ptak
Summary: "If life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Throw the lemons back at life and make life rue the day it decided to give you lemons." Tenten/Neji
1. Chapter 1

Summary: "If life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Throw the lemons back at life and make life rue the day it decided to give you lemons." Tenten/Neji (set in the ninja world)

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto**

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><p>"<em>The Lemonade Stand"<em>

The scent of lemon was overpowering, and Tenten loved the smell of it. She'd spent all morning making lemonade to sell during the afternoon. Even her small fingers were stained yellow from squishing lemons and she was sure the smell would stay on her for a while. It was a burning summer day at Konoha and Tenten congratulated herself on picking such a perfect day to make lemonade. On this hot day people would surely buy her lemonade.

Tenten's mom had been working so hard lately with her two jobs, it made Tenten glad to have such a hardworking mother but she wanted to help out in any way she could. Without her father around anymore she had to help her mom in any way she could. And this was her way.

For as long as Tenten could remember she had had three lemon trees that grew in her back yard, but this was the first time she's used them for anything. All she wanted was to sell her lemonade and bring back the money to her mom then finally those ugly trees could be of some use.

The lemonade was of her own recipe, she'd done it all by herself, and she felt proud as a peacock for it. Tenten sat at her "stand" which consisted of only a wooden table with a poster that read "Lemonade: 20 yen for one glass."(1) She had a jar of freshly made lemonade, plastic cups, and a bowl of lemons in case there was a shortage and she needed to make more lemonade. She was ready for business.

Time passed by but no one stopped by to get a glass of her lemonade; all too busy to pay her any mind. Her spirits where fading until she spotted Shikamaru across the street.

"Hey Shikamaru!" she called waving at her neighborhood friend. He smiled lazily back at her. "Do you want some lemonade? I've got tons! It's really good!"

"Sorry Tenten, but I don't have any money on me." Shikamaru called back reversing the pockets in his jeans to prove his point. "Maybe some other time, I've got to see Choji."

"OK." Said Tenten, crestfallen again.

She waited around some more but no one seemed to show any interest. When she figured it was getting late enough for her mom to worry about her she decided to pack up.

"How much?" she heard a voice ask as she packed up.

"Can't you read? It says 20 yen." Tenten says irritated from the undesirable turn of events. She was looking down as she packed and didn't know who was asking her for lemonade now that is was cooling down.

"Maybe if your handwriting wasn't so messy I could," the voice snapped back.

Tenten looked up ready to pounce at the kid in front of her, but his hardened appearance stopped her. The boy was her age, with dark long hair pulled back into a low ponytail and gray eyes so light they were almost transparent. She knew who he was, but he doubted he knew who she was. He was from the Hyuuga clan and although she'd never spoken to him before she knew his name was Neji from what Shikamaru had told her. If they really were the same age wouldn't that mean that they would be going to the academy together next fall? That would mean that she'd get to graduate in the same year as a Hyuuga!

"Sorry," Tenten mumbled as a blush threatened to appear on her sun-tanned skin. "I'm about to pack up but if you want a glass of lemonade I'll still get it for you."

The boy's face softened a little as he nodded and reached for money in his pocket. He seemed to be carrying a load of money in his pocket and why someone as young as him had so much money was beyond Tenten.

Tenten handed Neji the glass of lemonade, happy that at last someone had purchased her lemonade at last. Neji thanked her and drank, no more like gulped down, the glass of lemonade; however he stopped halfway through his drink. Tenten looked in awe at his beautiful eyes and waited patiently for Neji's feedback on her lemonade.

He coughed once, twice, a few more, before glaring at her harshly.

"This is the worst lemonade I've ever tasted!" he exclaimed pouring the rest of his drink on the dirty ground. Tenten watched as her hard work and time well spent splashed on the concrete. This time she flushed for real, she was furious.

If only he knew how much he'd just crushed her dreams.

If only he knew how much love and effort she'd put into the lemonade.

If only he knew he reason behind her choice to make lemonade today.

If only…if only he could see how mad he'd really made her.

She starred blackly at him as he set his cup down and began to walk away. Without thinking Tenten reached for the lemons in the bowl sitting on her stand and she threw them as hard as she could at the snotty boy in front of her. The boy cowered as the hard lemons hit his back and head.

Even at six, Tenten didn't miss one shot.

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><p><em>I'm horrible! i say i will update my other story (<span>Don't Tell<span>) but instead i go and make a new one...I know i really need to get working on the other story. Damn, I really don't have time to have two stories up but this was such a good idea i had i thought i had to put it up. please understand if it takes me a while to update_

_well, hope you liked it :) i know it was a bit short but I'm only getting started. _

_helpful critisism always welcome, tell me if you liked it or not_

_**Reviews?** it fuels my stories_

_-Cyan_


	2. Chapter 2

_Enjoy this cute chapter... :) _

**_Disclaimer: Don't own any of these awesome characters! (Damn..)_**

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><p>"<strong>Cleaning Roofs"<strong>

"Tsunade, the granddaughter of the First Hokage and student of the Third Hokage, is who we will be studying today. She is also known as one of the 'Legendary Sannin of Konoha'. Her monstrous strength and extraordinary healing abilities have been unsurpassed to this day. She is also—um, yes Tenten? Do you have a question?" their teacher stopped her lecture on historically important people of Konoha.

"Well I was wondering where she was right now." Tenten said shyly.

Their Academy teacher pushed up her glasses and frowned in question. "No one knows for sure. I'm sure she is a very busy woman; travels a lot."

"What's she like?" Tenten asked with enthusiasm.

"Well, having never met her before, I can't answer that." She replied curtly.

"Is she beautiful?"

"I'm sure she is but—"

"I've decided! I'm going to become like Lady Tsunade!" Tenten declared with a glimmer in her eye.

"I'm sure you will," said their teacher, her voice getting exasperated now. "But first you need to graduate from this academy, and until you start taking notes in my class and practicing your chakra control you won't graduate!"

Giggles and whispers broke out throughout the classroom making Tenten flush. A determined frown set on her face. One day, she'll show them how strong of a kunoichi she's become! Someone to her left her nudged her. It was Lee the most annoying boy in her class but somehow Tenten had grown fond of him after years of being assigned to sit next to each other. He leaned in closer to whisper with an encouraging smile. "Don't worry Tenten, I think you'll be able to become like Lady Tsunade. You just have to work hard for it!" Tenten smiled back; glad she had a supportive friend like Lee.

Below her Neji was taking neat notes of the lecture. Stupid Neji, always such a good student—making all the teachers love him. If she really wanted to be like Lady Tsunade she'd have to start being a good student as well. What better way to do that then to cheat of the smartest boy in her class?

Their teacher handed out a written quiz, which Tenten vaguely remembered her mentioning yesterday. Of course Tenten hadn't studied, but she wasn't worried; she had Neji to cheat off of. Immediately Neji got to work, she did her best to catch glimpses of his quiz. After Neji turned it in she looked over her own test. Satisfied, she turned it in.

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><p>Tenten had a hard time making friends with the girls at the academy. They didn't share much in common except that they wanted to be kunoichi like Tenten. But these girls all had fathers; they enjoyed picking flowers, doing their hair, and played with dolls. Tenten lost her father at five, hated how flowers made her sneeze, hated how unpredictable her hair was, and didn't play with toys. However, the greatest difference she and the rest of her female classmates had was that they were all either insanely obsessed with Neji or with how cute Sasuke (the boy a year younger them) was.<p>

She couldn't stand how they would all sit around in a circle to watch Neji practice his kuni and shuriken throwing. It's not like it was hard to hit the target. And the way they all saved a spot for him during lunch but he still went off to eat by himself infuriated her. It was as if Neji thought he was superior to everyone else, and everyone else only fueled his arrogant ego by treating him like that. Even the teachers never scolded at him. She often found herself wishing she had a bowl of lemons handy to throw at him.

It not like Tenten hated him, she'd never hated anyone in her life but she just…well…Neji wasn't likeable. He didn't even try to make others like him so why should _she_ like _him_?

Well she didn't. And that was that!

But Tenten did happen to like Hinata. Tenten hadn't met Hinata until her second year at the academy when Hinata was old enough to enroll, and even though they were one year apart and didn't share any classes they would talk during lunch and even walk home together sometimes. (Tenten had been able to see the Hyuuga's residence once while walking Hinata and her jaw literally dropped.) Hinata is the only reason Tenten knows so much about Neji. Not because she's a fan girl who stalks him but because Hinata talks about her family almost constantly. And, well, she can't help but listen to what her friend has to say.

That's how she knows that Neji only has white, gray, beige, brown or black colored cloths. And that his favorite color is green, his favorite animals are eagles, and how he never borrows anything because he hates having to remember to give things back and say thanks. That's how she knows Neji likes girls with brown eyes.

…

Scratch that! Tenten was almost positive that last one was a just rumor from one of his fan girls and not directly from Hinata.

Either way Tenten got along with Hinata so well she wondered many times how Hinata could be Neji's cousin. Hinata was so sweet and tender; Neji on the other hand was cold and haughty. Tenten and Hinata would talk about anything and everything. Today was no different; during their break Tenten and Hinata sat under a tree and ate their lunch in the cool shade. Somehow or another they'd come to the topic of marriage.

"I want my marriage to be like my parents. Not too big or small, but classy. Preferably an outdoors wedding, with a view to the entire village. What about you Hinata?" Tenten said.

"W-well, it's tradition that anyone from the Hyuuga clan get m-m-married in our estate." Hinata said softly biting her onigiriOnigiriOnigiri.

"I see. So do you have any idea who you're going to marry?" Tenten asked.

Hinata almost choked on her rice ball. "N-n-n-no, not r-really. Besides if you live in the m-main branch of the Hyuuga clan y-y-your marriage is arranged."

"That's awful!" Tenten exclaimed. "So you can't get married to whomever you want?

"It's not t-t-that bad, Tenten. We can't marry s-someone we completely hate, the parents of the couple have to make sure the c-c-c-couple are at least compatible. Besides they are usually from well-known families."

"Okay, so why is the main branch the only one that has to do it?"

Hinata looked uncomfortable. "Well, s-since the main branch is the o-one with the blood line we have to make s-s-sure the secret of the b-b-b-byakugan is kept so our clan can go on."

"What about Neji? I remembered you said he wasn't part of the main branch once, but he has the byakugan doesn't he?"

Hinata looked around uneasily not knowing how to answer Tenten's question. It finally dawned on Tenten that she was asking questions too closely related to the Hyuuga clan's secret. "Sorry," Tenten apologized. "You don't have to tell me anything if you're not allowed to…"

"That's not it!" Hinata exclaimed. "I mean your question can be answered, it's just I don't know how to. Everyone in my family says Neji is a prodigy and it's true he can use the byakugan even though he's not part of the main branch—you should have seen how shocked my father was when he found out. I don't know…maybe Neji will be treated like the main branch in that aspect, because I don't think my clan would want to waste talent."

Tenten blinked in surprise, she didn't know which one was more surprising: the fact that Hinata hadn't stuttered or the fact that maybe for the first time Neji won't get what he wanted.

"I wonder who's going to want to marry that jerk." Tenten joked openly.

Hinata knew about Tenten's dislike towards Neji but she still couldn't help but frown and counter with: "You'd b-b-be s-surprised."

"Hey Double-Ten!" someone called. Tenten looked up to see Koharu Takoyaki, a classmate of Tenten's, walking towards them. If there was one person Tenten disliked more than Neji it was her. Koharu was a cruel showoff kind of girl who also happened to be Neji's number one fan. She had long red hair and eyes the color of the sea. She was the type of girl any parent would want as a friend for their child. Her clan was a respected one and she was talented, at least with her blood line limit, she was horrible at throwing kuni and almost as bad as Tenten at her chakra control.

"What do you want? Don't call me that!" Tenten yelled angrily. She narrowed her eyes at Koharu, you could never be sure what Koharu wanted from you, and whatever it was she almost always got it.

"I don't want anything with _you_." Koharu said crossing her arms looking at Tenten like if she were outdated milk. "Our Sensei wants to see you and I, being a nice person and all, decided to get you."

"Why? What did I do?"

"Beats me, whatever it is that ninja with no last names do is beyond me." Tenten could feel her face heating up. It's true she had no last name, but her father had died bravely in an important mission as a ninja and that was good enough for her to know she could qualify as a ninja as well.

"T-T-T-Tenten is still a n-ninja like us." Hinata said loudly with a sudden look of horror that she'd just spoken to her senior.

Koharu finally looked at Hinata as if only then realizing she was there. She eyed Hinata carefully and said, "Look just hurry up or you know had mad she can get."

Tenten left her lunch, said a quick goodbye to Hinata, and rushed to the building. On her way she could hear Koharu sweet talking to Hinata. Koharu knew Hinata was related to Neji and that was probably why she'd taken the effort to get Tenten, because Tenten hung with Hinata. Tenten regretted having left Hinata behind.

Tenten reached the classroom of her Sensei and stopped in her tracks. Her teacher wasn't the only one in there, Neji was too. He didn't even bother to look at her.

"Come closer Tenten." Their teacher said calmly.

Tenten did so until she stood next to Neji and in front of the teacher's desk. "What is it? What's going on?"

"Well it seems there was a little problem in the quiz, if just so happens that you and Neji got the same grade."

"But that happens all the time doesn't it? Kids get the same grades a lot." Tenten said panicking. She knew were this was going, but she couldn't believe she'd gotten caught. Surely their answers would have all been right and they'd both gotten full credit, but if somehow….if somehow…

"Well of course Tenten, but you see when that happens if not always because they got the exact same answers wrong." Their teacher held up both quiz papers. One had questions answered in neat handwriting and the other had a slanted almost unreadable handwriting. Both quizzes had their first question right the rest of the questions were marked with tiny "_X_"s.

This is what Tenten had been afraid of. She'd foolishly copied all the answers down without thinking that Neji might have forgotten to study for the quiz as well. Tenten opened her mouth to speak but the teacher stopped her.

"I don't care what you have to say, it is pretty obvious you both cheated and so you will pay the consequence. In the real world a ninja can't merely copy or steal something if they want to succeed, ninja's must work hard to get what they want. Therefore, you will both stay after school and clean up the roof."

Tenten couldn't believe her bad luck.

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><p>"And don't forget to tie these ropes around your waists and then I will tie them to this tree here."<p>

"Iruka Sensei? What exactly are these ropes for?" Tenten asked curiously nevertheless doing as she was told. Iruka Sensei had just finished giving them instructions on how to clean the roof and given them their materials to do it with. All that was left was to get the up here.

"Well, it's so I can pull you up there, but cleaning the roof is also dangerous so I'm tying it to the tree so you won't fall off and get hurt."

"Oh." Tenten replied simply. What kind of awful teacher would make her students do something as dangerous as this as a punishment!

"Don't look so worried Tenten! I'll be here until six so I can keep an eye out for you. Don't worry about a thing!" Iruka smiled. Tenten simply nodded nervously. "Alright are you ready?"

Neji and Tenten both nodded and Iruka pulled on their ropes sending them high and they both landed easily unto the roof. He quickly tied the ropes to the tree and gave wished them good luck. Tenten's keens began to shake as she got to work. She looked over at Neji who was working patiently and diligently on scrubbing the roof. He seemed to treat even cleaning like if it were homework.

"Aren't you scared?" Tenten asked urging her voice not to shake. Neji shook his head. "Well we could fall any second you know!"

"That won't happen unless you don't pay attention where you're going," Neji pointed at her feet. She looked down at them and saw the edge of the roof was less than a foot from where she was standing. Tenten screamed getting on her knees and hands as she crawled up the roof.

"Relax," Neji frowned, obviously irritated by her reaction. "It's only two stories high, you can't die from falling that high."

"Glad you're having so much fun!" Tenten yelled hugging the bucket that held the water and soap they were supposed to use to scrub the roof.

"I don't want to be here anymore than you do!" Neji said. He really looked angry now. It caught Tenten off guard. Sure, he wasn't exactly the nicest guy but Neji had never snapped at her.

"Sorry Neji," Tenten began looked at the soapy water in the bucket. This was all her fault and she felt so guilty about it. "I want to say that all this is my fault. It's my fault we're stuck up here cleaning the roof, I shouldn't have copied you're answers. It wasn't the right thing to do and I will never do it again. I guess I did it because I… I just never thought you wouldn't know the answers to the questions."

"Who says I didn't know the answers?" Neji said stopping his work.

"What?"

"Of course I knew the answers to the questions Tenten, and I also knew you were copying me."

"Are you…are you trying to tell me you let me copy your wrong answers on purpose?"

"I wouldn't be much of a ninja if I had no idea what you were doing." A slight smile appeared across his face.

"You… you….you JERK!" Tenten screamed. Suddenly she forgot they were on a roof and she launched at him. She'd only meant to shove him to prove her point that she was mad at him, but in the process she'd managed to trip over some cleaning material and she'd stumbled on to Neji who grabbed the rope around her waist in order not to fall off the roof. Tenten still hadn't let go of the bucket and it splashed all over them covering them up in a soapy mess and unfortunately making the roof they were standing on even more slippery. Tenten lost her balance. She clutched Neji's rope from his waist which sent them both flying through the air and getting tangled in each other's rope. Finally their struggle came to a stop as they hung in midair about eight feet from the ground.

"Great, look what you just did," Neji fumed breathing heavily next to Tenten. They were tied right in front of each other, neither knowing how their rope would have gotten into such a mess. Neither could move much except their heads and fingers.

"I am not apologizing to you again!" Tenten said struggling against the ropes.

"Stop doing that, you moron! You'll break the—"

_CRRrrrr…..!_

Both their heads snapped up to hear where the sound was coming from. The rope they were hanging from was tied to a rather small branch ready to break.

"Oh no…" Tenten whispered willing the branch to be strong.

"Don't move." Neji hissed.

CRRRRRRAK!

"AAAAAH!" Tenten yelled shutting her eyes closed.

The tree branch snapped sending them crashing to the ground. They landed with a big moan. Tenten's body ached, but she couldn't have had it as bad a Neji who'd gotten the real hit from underneath her. The only part of Tenten that had landed on something soft was her lips. She opened her eyes to see opaque white eyes staring back at her as her lips touched Neji's.

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><p><em>HAHAHA! aw that was just too cute, i had fun writing that fall.<em>

_anyways thanks for the wait and hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner. Holiday season is always crazy for me_

_**REVIEWS** are awesome and I love them… (actually, I may be addicted to them O.o so please feed my obsession)_

_-Cyan_


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you to all who have reviewed, favorited this story, or put it in storyy alert! You guys motivate me :) _

_(sorry for the late update, life has been hectic...please read A/N at end of this chapter) _

_this chapter has an unexpected ending... :P  
><em>**Disclaimer: and still nothing is mine, just borrowing.  
><strong>

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><p>"<em><strong>Graduation, Teams and Missions"<strong>_

Graduation day from the Academy was a big deal in Konoha. Students would arrive to school at 8 in the morning with their parents and the whole day was dedicated to celebrating the student's passing Ninja Academy. First, breakfast was served and a lengthy speech was given by the principle. Teachers would then announce each of their student's in alphabetical order to come up and receive a diploma. The ceremony ended by noon which was followed by families congratulating each other outside the Academy building. It was a nice tradition that everyone got really involved in, and Tenten was no different.

As her principle spoke of the year's success, she became to feel nervous. Her mother, Chiaki, sat to Tenten's right. Her hazel eyes were tiered from last night's shift yet still they glimmered with pride for her daughter; Chiaki held her daughters hand and squeezed it every so often. Tenten felt a pang of nostalgia wash over her suddenly. She knew why, but she tried to ignore it. Besides today was a day of fun and celebration. Even that couldn't stop her from wishing that her father were there, sitting to her left holding her other hand and smiling with pride. But that was just wishful thinking; he would never come back.

Everyone else in her class had both parents sitting with them Tenten noticed as she glanced around the room. Her eyes fell on Neji's back. Tenten figured she should at least be happy she was sitting with one of her parents, unlike Neji who sat next to his uncle both. Both had their arms crossed and were looking straight ahead not having shared one word to each other since they walked into the room.

Chiaki followed her daughter's worried gaze and smiled when her eyes fell on Neji Hyuuga. She squeezed Tenten's hand one more time making Tenten blush. It had been an entire year since the roof incident and it was not a day she liked to remember, although she often found herself thinking about it during class, before going to sleep at night, and whenever she saw his face. It wasn't her fault! The guy had stolen her first kiss! And first kisses are almost never unforgettable. If she could take it back, she would. At any rate, no one had seen them kissing so she didn't have to suffer the wrath of gossiping girls her last year at the Academy. Although, she did wonder why Neji hadn't bothered to tell anyone, she had told Hinata and her mom. They were the closest people to her and she knew they wouldn't tell anybody else.

Iruka Sensei finally stood up in front of the audience and began to read names from a scroll. Tenten's heart pounded. She hoped she wouldn't trip or be clumsily on her way there.

"Tenten!" Iruka Sensei read out loud. Tenten stood up and walked toward the stage in her not-so-comfortable white dress. Iruka Sensei gave Tenten her diploma as the crowd cheered. She could hear Lee cheering louder than anyone else, which made her smile wider. Tenten walked off stage returning to her place. She didn't trip.

At the end of the list, Iruka Sensei cleared his throat to say one last thing: "Remember, tomorrow each of you will report back to your homerooms to get slit up into your three-man squad. Good luck!" Everyone was dismissed.

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><p>The next day every graduated student from the Academy showed up in their homeroom classes. No body dared be late on this important day of their lives. It determined who they would be working with form now on, even though they had been trained throughout their school career to have good teamwork skills, it was still a hard task.<p>

Tenten was seated in her usual spot next to Lee, her hands shaking with anticipation, ready to hear which team she was on. Lee wasn't any better, his legs bounced up and down with enthusiasm but this time Tenten didn't mind his eagerness; it was feeding her excitement. As usual, Neji sat straight and still in front of them. If he didn't breathe you might as well think he was a statue. Finally, as Iruka Sensei entered the classroom, all excited voices died down. In his hand was a single piece of paper that determined everyone's future.

"As of today you are all ninjas. To get here you had to face difficult trails and hardships; but that's nothing. What comes next will be far more difficult. For now, you are only genin. As you know, all the genin are grouped into three-man squads led by jounin, an elite ninja." The class broke out into small whispers. Iruka kept going, ignoring them. "We made sure that each squad had a balance of strength and ability, so missions could have a higher succession rate. The assigned jounin will also meet the skills necessary to complement the team's strength. So here are the squads."

Once again silence fell over the room as the teams were read out loud.

"Team 17: Takoyaki Koharu Takoyaki, Nill Shou, and Ogawa Yumi. Your team will meet in room 209." Iruka Sensei went down the list pausing in between to let the kids look and give brief smiles at each other before continuing.

"Team 16: Sora , Biska Miharu, and Nakashima Asuka. Meet at the front gates."

Tenten kept expecting her name to be announced each time a new group was mentioned, but it didn't come as soon as she'd hoped for. Lee sat impatiently besides her as well mumbling under his breath: "Come on, come on!"

"Team 3: Hyuuga Neji, Lee, and Tenten. You will all meet during lunch at the balcony on the second floor that overlooks the forest."

Lee jumped up with joy, shooting his fisted hand up into the air. He made a small victory dance before turning to Tenten. "Tenten! We are on the same team! This is great! I can't—um, Tenten are you feeling okay?"

Tenten felt her stomach drop. Not only had she put up with Neji during her Academy years but now she had to deal with him on missions as well? Suddenly, all her excitement faded and she began to feel nauseous. She couldn't believe her bad luck! She didn't mind having Lee, although he was annoying at times, but having Neji as well would be such a drain.

"Tenten?" Lee asked one more time. His face inches from hers studying her reaction.

"Oh!" Tenten snapped back into reality, backing away from Lee. "Yea, this is great Lee. I can't wait either…"

She heard a soft "Hn" from Neji as he crossed his arms in front of him.

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><p>Team 3 met at the balcony during lunch as they were told. Neji was already there when Tenten and Lee arrived. He was sitting on the curved bench with his arm casually on the top rail of the bench. Lee sat on the opposite side making Tenten sit in between the two. Neji made no attempt at removing his arm that was almost around her, his fingertips brunching slightly against her shoulder. There was no way he could not notice; besides, he was a Hyuuga and they always noticed everything. But Neji didn't seem to mind.<p>

"I wonder, what kind of jonin will we get?" Lee asked, breaking the silence, not taking note of how uncomfortable Tenten felt. "I heard this year they are particularly tough! And what kind of new jutsus will he teach us?"

"You can't do jutsus." Neji said coldly and bluntly.

Lee blushed. "Yea, well maybe he'll be so awesome he can teach me anything!" Lee said lamely.

"I can't believe I got stuck with such a pathetic team." Neji whispered under his breath, but still loud enough for Tenten to hear. Her skin boiled at his rude comment and having insulted her friend. She was about to yell at him when suddenly a man appeared before them.

"Hiya there!" a tall skinny man with green overalls stood in front of them. His bowl cut dark hair had even more luster than Neji's and his had huge bushy eyebrows. In short words, he was odd.

_He can't possibly be our jounin_, Tenten thought to herself as her mouth hung wide open.

"I am the Mighty Guy and I will be your jounin leader until you too become jonins!" he pointed at himself while smiling widely. His teeth so white they were practically blinding.

_Oh God! He is our jounin! What a freak,_ Tenten wailed inside her head. How could things get any worse for her on this team?

"So cool!" Lee gasped out as he stared at Guy Sensei with fascination.

"You've got to be kidding me," Neji and Tenten said in unison looking at Lee with bewilderment in their eyes. They grimaced at each other for having said the same thing, but despite that Tenten cracked a smile. He lifted one side of his lips in response.

"Alight youngsters! Now that we're together lets introduce ourselves!" Guy Sensei smiled his striking smile. "Say your name and then tell me what your goal as a ninja is."

Lee raised his hand first. "My name is Lee, Guy Sensei! My goal is to become stronger! I want to show I can be a great ninja as well; even if I do not have ninjutsu or genjutsu. I will prove it to the whole world!"

"Ah! That's the spirit of youth, Lee! Well spoken! I will work hard as well to make sure you prove yourself!"

Neji scoffed beside Tenten. "That's impossible," he said. "You have to use ninjutsu and genjustus if you ever want to be a worthy ninja."

Guy Sensei frowned slightly. "Well I don't have to ask you who you are. Those eyes are undoubtedly from the Hyuuga clan."

"My name is Neji," Neji corrected him. "My goal is to become part of the Anbu."

"That's an incredible goal! You must work hard to be part of the Anbu, you know! But I have no doubt in your youthful power Neji!" Guy Sensei said smiling at his fullest again. He turned to look at Tenten. "And who might you be?"

"Oh, I'm Tenten…just Tenten," she smiled awkwardly. "And, I, well, I think I want to be a specialized ninja. I think I want to specialize in something like medicine or strength."

"That's a fine goal, young Tenten!" he said encouragingly. "One more thing: in order to keep our team bonds stronger, we will no longer be known as Team 3, but as Team Guy!"

"Woah, really? That's so cool!" Lee jumped with glee. Tenten gave him a look and determined he actually meant it.

"Alright youthful team! This will be our team cheer." Guy Sensei placed a hand straight out in front of him; soon, as if a signal had been sent to Lee's brain telepathically, Lee placed his hand on top of Guy Sensei's. Now Tenten understood. She gave them a bizarre look before giving in and placing her hand on top of Lee's as she let out a sigh. They all turned to look at Neji. He raised a single eyebrow up making his overconfident appearance even more arrogant. Tenten gave him a 'just do it' look hoping that he would read her mind. Neji glanced at her and decided it was best to give in; his hand came down softly on top of hers. "Team Guy, may the power of youth be with us always! Haya!"

Tenten and Neji found themselves exchanging equally irritated looks. She smiled; maybe with Neji on her team, these two freaks wouldn't drive her crazy with their over excessive enthusiasm. At least to some extent.

* * *

><p>"Our first C class mission! I'm so excited!" Lee exclaimed throwing his backpack over his right shoulder as four ninja stood in front of the Konoha city gates one cloudy morning. Seven months had passed since Team Guy was announced and it was impressive how far they had come. Of course, Tenten had to admit it was partly because of Guy Sensei's pushy attitude when it came to training, but over their time together Tenten realized there was something more. Their powers and abilities complimented each other's perfectly and it led them to do better on missions. They hadn't failed any of their D class missions so far, so they were given for the first time a C class mission to challenge them.<p>

But even their complimentary abilities weren't enough to describe how much they had grown over the short seven months. They had grown not just in power, but in bonds too. Tenten practically lived with these men, taking on long missions with them and spending all of her training with them. She thought she knew what teamwork meant in the Academy, but she really didn't have a clue until now. Things were different; you did almost everything with the team.

"Our job is to guide Librarian Saito from the small Land of Tea to our own library here in Konoha," Guy Sensei began. "The catch is that there seems to be some rogue ninja after him because he is in possession of a book containing various secret art techniques from our village. Of course these rogue ninja aren't much of a threat but this could turn into a B class mission if they do manage to get their hands on the book, in which case I might have o call for reinforcements from chounin. But of course that won't happen, right Team Guy? We will beat them to a pulp before they lay a finger on Mr. Saito!"

"Right!" Lee agreed. He was the only to respond Guy Sensei.

"This mission might take from three to five days depending on our efficiency. But I say we can do it in two days, if not less!"

"I accept your challenge Guy Sensei!" Lee shouted.

"Let's get going then," Neji said, which, Tenten had learned over time, was his own way of saying he was eager to complete the mission too, though his expression gave nothing away.

"Now that's the spirit Neji!" Guy said, patting him on the back. "Try to keep up now!" And with that he was gone with a flash. Lee followed fight away. Neji motioned for Tenten to go first, after all Neji was assigned to be at the back because of his Byakugan.

They always ran like this when on a mission. Guy Sensei was at the head leading them, Lee following closely behind, then Tenten, and finally Neji at the end who could overlook everyone and see any danger approaching. If Tenten had learned something while with her team, it had to be speed. Although she naturally possessed fast reflexes she was never a fast runner. Her training with her team and running on missions had made her developed that skill over time. Now Tenten jumped from one tree to the other with ease. With their speed, Team Guy arrived at the Land of Tea a little bit past noon. Ninja running was a fast way to travel but the old librarian would slow them down considerably, so maybe they wouldn't meet their goal.

They found the old man sitting on a bench by a book store reading a book. He had long white hair and thick reading glasses. He looked up at the four ninja as they approached.

"Hello," he said. "I supposed you are the Leaf ninja taking me to Konoha?"

"Indeed we are!" Guy Sensei exclaimed giving him a flashy smile. "If there is anything you need please let us know. But for now let's get going. You see, my pupils and I have a set time we want to accomplish for this mission."

Tenten smiled at the old man apologetically saying, "It would be for the best to get you in Konoha as soon as possible, where it is safe." The old man nodded picked up his heavy looking traveling bag and put his book away. Lee offered to carry his bag.

"Don't worry, I may look old but this body still has energy in it!" said the Mr. Saito, and they took off, leaving the Land of Tea behind them as they returned to the forest that would lead them to Konoha. Mr. Saito the librarian walked between Lee and Tenten, the safest spot in their formation. Tenten began observing the old man. His walk was sturdy and it had purpose, his back though a bit bent from old age, looked strong, and when the wind blew once Tenten caught sight of a scar on his neck. He was right; though he was old he looked capable of taking care of himself. Tenten didn't doubt he could run a mile without a sweat. He hadn't complained once during their walk home or asked for a break even though he carried that heavy bag, no doubt filled with books.

Realization filled Tenten as she studied the man more and more. "You're a retired ninja," she said out loud before thinking. Everyone turned to stare at her.

Mr. Saito laughed. "What makes you say that?"

"That scar on your neck looks like it's from a kunai knife; I have plenty of experience with those. And why else would the Leaf entrust you with such an important book if you didn't value it yourself? Sure you're a librarian so you care about books in general, but this one must mean more to you because you understand the importance of our countries' hidden jutsus. So you must have been a ninja one time during your life. "

He laughed even louder at that. "I'm glad someone as young as you could catch something like that. Impressive observation skills little girl, what's your name?"

"Tenten," she said blushing a bit with his compliment.

"Is that so?" he said looking back at her, his expression thoughtful. "You're a fine ninja Tenten."

When dusk settled into the sky, Guy Sensei decided it would be best to stop there and sleep for the night. They put out their sleeping bags and set a camp fire to sit around. It was this part of missions that Tenten enjoyed the most, sitting down to take a break, eating dinner with her teammates, and sharing stories with each other. She remembered how much she had hated her team in the beginning but now she understood them so much better. Except for Lee and Guy's weirdness, she had gotten used to everything about her team, and she liked it. Old man Saito sat next to Tenten reading his book as the four ninja conversed. He looked up every so often to make a comment before returning to his think book again.

"What book are you reading?" Tenten asked him in attempt to make him join the conversation.

"Not a book for kids, such as yourself," he smiled slyly. Neji summoned his Byakugan silently and looked at the books cover. His face paled and quickly his eyes went back to normal.

"What was it?" Lee asked urgently. But Neji refused to talk.

"It doesn't matter," Guy said. "Time for bed, we leave early tomorrow morning. Tenten, take first watch." She nodded as the put out the fire as the rest retrieved into their sleeping bags. The peculiar sounds of the forest were all that Tenten was left with and man did she hate it. It wasn't the dark she was scared of, but the things going on in the dark that she couldn't see. It was at times like this she wished he had the Byakugan like Neji. Then something soft and worm touched her upper arm. Tenten jumped ready to attack a kunai in her hand.

"Relax, little girl, it's just me," Mr. Saito said in a calm voice. Tenten could see his dark eyes and outline of his face in the moonlight.

"Oh, what's wrong? You should be sleeping," Tenten answered.

"There's been something on my mind since I asked you for your name, would you mind telling me if you know a man named Hideo?"

Upon hearing her dad's name, Tenten's back straightened. "Yes, I do. In fact he was my father."

"Was?" Tenten nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that, little girl. You see about thirteen years ago, I met your father in the Land of Tea. He was a single man then but he met a lovely lady name Chiaki. I believed they got married soon after, you must be their daughter?"

"Small world, isn't it?" Tenten said bitterly.

"Yes, your father was a splendid man. I had the honor of working with him on my last year as a shinobi, and you see I was that year he said he his wife were expecting a child whom they would name Tenten."

Tears filled Tenten's eyes but she refused to let herself cry, even in the darkness, Mr. Saito would hear her.

"I wanted to give you this book too. It was your father's favorite, don't ask me why, but I think it would be fitting that as his daughter you keep it, especially since he is no longer with you."

"Thank you!" Tenten said gratefully taking the book blindly out of his hands and holding it tightly in hers.

"You're welcome, now I'm off to sleep," Mr. Saito said returning to his slumber. Once she made sure everyone was asleep she took her small flashlight out of her bag. She had yet another valuable piece that had been part of her father's life. Tenten flashed the light on the cover of the book. _Under the Covers_ it read. Tenten frowned at the confusing title. What could it possibly be about?

She flipped to the first chapter, and her heart fell. It wasn't much of a novel more than a picture book, and it had very explicit pictures at that. The title of the chapter was "Pleasure: the Beginning" and it had a naked man and woman holding each other tightly. Startled, Tenten turned to the next chapter, "Sex and Consequences" showing a picture of parents holding a baby lovingly. Then she turned to a random chapter called "Positions." With this Tenten blood rushed with adrenaline, she almost felt like she was in a battle herself. It showed pictures of different kinds of sex positions.

_What kind of book is this?_ She thought. _Surely this isn't my father's favorite book? It can't be…how…perverted!_ But then she remembered how Mr. Saito had mentioned how her dad met her mom in the Land of Tea. Naturally, he would want to learn more if he was attacked to a woman right? But this book, it was too much. Then Tenten remembered something else they told her and her classmates their last year at the Academy. Ninja needed to know about this kind of "missions." Hey had been so vague at the Academy though, promising they would teach them more when they reached the appropriate age. So maybe this book was just part of research?

Tenten looked closer at the pictures. These weren't pictures of real people like the first two but the drawings were real enough. She looked at the first picture; it was called "The Missionary Technique." She looked at the next picture, "The Edge of Heaven" and noticed each picture had a short description of and tips on when to use that position. "The Speed Bump" was next followed by "Standing Up" and "Woman on Top" then "Face-to-Face Love."

Tenten had never blushed so much in her life. This was unbelievable. Tenten felt someone tap her shoulder, making her jump and the person tapping her stiffened as well. She looked behind her to see Neji standing there, his opaque white eyes wide. She stared at him; he stared at the book in her hands. Moments seemed to become hours as neither of them moved. Tenten couldn't remember a time more embarrassing than the one she was in right now. Why did Neji, out of all people, have to see her looking at this book?

"It's my shift," Neji finally managed to say meeting Tenten's petrified eyes.

* * *

><p><em>Woa, I know I would want to die if that ever happened to me! Poor Tenten. <em>

**_okay, i want to make two things clear_**:_ (1) this IS an M rated story so there will be material inappropriate for people under 17 in later chapters. Just keep in mind that for now Neji and Tenten are only 12 years old. (i can't have little kids doing naughty things! Nasty!) so please be patient and wait for the story to progress_. (2) _also my stories aren't exactly in consecutive order, meaning my story jumps around from one age to the next but still in each chapter they will be getting older and older. (hope that wasn't too confusing..)_

_anyway, thanks for reading. Please don't forget to **Review**!_ :)

_-Cyan_


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